Members’ Day 2026 Celebrating 10 Years of Industry–Academia Collaboration
calendar_month03 Jul 2026
location_onASPIRE
Members' Day 2026, hosted by ASPIRE IIT Bombay Research Park Foundation, marked a defining milestone as the Research Park celebrated ten years of advancing industry–academia collaboration and innovation under the theme "Shaping the Next Decade." Bringing together IIT Bombay leadership, faculty members, researchers, member companies, startups, policymakers, and innovation ecosystem partners, the event served as both a celebration of ASPIRE's decade-long journey and a forward-looking platform to shape the future of collaborative research and technology translation.
The day commenced with an interactive Co-Creation Showcase, featuring collaborative innovations from Bhukhanwala Industries, CloudMojo, MNST, NeoDocs, and Rishabh, alongside IIT Bombay faculty and researchers, demonstrating how industry partnerships are translating research into impactful solutions. This was followed by the Research to Real-World Impact session, where successful collaborations between IIT Bombay and organisations including Unilever, JSW Steel, Larsen & Toubro, ideaForge, and Deloitte highlighted the journey from academic research to real-world applications.
The programme featured addresses by Prof. Shireesh Kedare, Director, IIT Bombay; Dr. Niranjan Hiranandani; Prof. Milind Atrey; Prof. Ravi Gudi; Prof. Vikram Vishal; and Dr. Rajappa Tadepalli, culminating in the launch of ASPIRE's newly redesigned website. A fireside conversation between Dr. Niranjan Hiranandani and Prof. Vikram Vishal reflected on the evolving role of research parks in strengthening industry–academia partnerships and accelerating innovation.
Participants also gained insights into emerging research capabilities through presentations by IIT Bombay's strategic technology centres, while the Voices from Industry session featured perspectives from leaders at Accenture, Alkem Laboratories, and JSW Motors on the future of research partnerships, digital transformation, healthcare innovation, and advanced manufacturing. The discussions continued through two thought-provoking panel sessions - "From Proximity to Partnership - The Journey" and "Global Perspectives on Industry–Academia Partnerships" - bringing together distinguished speakers from IIT Bombay, Deloitte, the Consulate General of Canada, Neysa.ai, and the broader innovation ecosystem to explore collaborative models that can shape the next generation of research and technology development. A key highlight of the celebration was the presentation of the ASPIRE Impact Honours 2026, recognising faculty champions, institutional partners, member organisations, and research collaborators whose contributions have strengthened ASPIRE's ecosystem over the past decade. The event concluded with guided innovation tours of ASPIRE and select IIT Bombay research facilities, offering participants a first-hand experience of cutting-edge research infrastructure and translational technologies.
More than a celebration of ten years, Members' Day 2026 reaffirmed ASPIRE's role as a catalyst for innovation - connecting academia, industry, startups, and government to build partnerships that transform research into meaningful societal and industrial impact while laying the foundation for the next decade of collaborative growth.
The day commenced with an interactive Co-Creation Showcase, featuring collaborative innovations from Bhukhanwala Industries, CloudMojo, MNST, NeoDocs, and Rishabh, alongside IIT Bombay faculty and researchers, demonstrating how industry partnerships are translating research into impactful solutions. This was followed by the Research to Real-World Impact session, where successful collaborations between IIT Bombay and organisations including Unilever, JSW Steel, Larsen & Toubro, ideaForge, and Deloitte highlighted the journey from academic research to real-world applications.
The programme featured addresses by Prof. Shireesh Kedare, Director, IIT Bombay; Dr. Niranjan Hiranandani; Prof. Milind Atrey; Prof. Ravi Gudi; Prof. Vikram Vishal; and Dr. Rajappa Tadepalli, culminating in the launch of ASPIRE's newly redesigned website. A fireside conversation between Dr. Niranjan Hiranandani and Prof. Vikram Vishal reflected on the evolving role of research parks in strengthening industry–academia partnerships and accelerating innovation.
Participants also gained insights into emerging research capabilities through presentations by IIT Bombay's strategic technology centres, while the Voices from Industry session featured perspectives from leaders at Accenture, Alkem Laboratories, and JSW Motors on the future of research partnerships, digital transformation, healthcare innovation, and advanced manufacturing. The discussions continued through two thought-provoking panel sessions - "From Proximity to Partnership - The Journey" and "Global Perspectives on Industry–Academia Partnerships" - bringing together distinguished speakers from IIT Bombay, Deloitte, the Consulate General of Canada, Neysa.ai, and the broader innovation ecosystem to explore collaborative models that can shape the next generation of research and technology development. A key highlight of the celebration was the presentation of the ASPIRE Impact Honours 2026, recognising faculty champions, institutional partners, member organisations, and research collaborators whose contributions have strengthened ASPIRE's ecosystem over the past decade. The event concluded with guided innovation tours of ASPIRE and select IIT Bombay research facilities, offering participants a first-hand experience of cutting-edge research infrastructure and translational technologies.
More than a celebration of ten years, Members' Day 2026 reaffirmed ASPIRE's role as a catalyst for innovation - connecting academia, industry, startups, and government to build partnerships that transform research into meaningful societal and industrial impact while laying the foundation for the next decade of collaborative growth.